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It is widely acknowledged that sustainable development is a long-term goal, which both individuals and institutions (and countries!) need to pursue. This important theme is characterized by an intrinsic complexity, since it encompasses ecological or environmental considerations on the one hand, and economic matters, social influences and political frameworks on the other. This makes provisions in respect of education for sustainable development a particularly challenging task, but one which is feasible and achievable, provided the right elements are put into place. This book is an attempt to foster the cause of education for sustainable development, by documenting and disseminating experiences from different parts of the world, where learning for, about and through the principles of sustainability is taking place, in various sets and contexts, in both industrialized and developing nations. A special feature of this book is that it not only presents a wide range of philosophies, approaches, methods and analyses with respect to education for sustainable development across the world, but also documents and disseminates concrete case studies, which show how education for sustainable development may be realized in practice.

A Survey of Sustainability Promotion Experiences: The IPSO Project

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Jordi Garcia, Daniel Garcia, Francisco Esteban, Marta Pujadas, Francisco-Javier Navallas, Ramon Miralles Abstract Purpose: This chapter presents the first results of an international survey taken through the IPSO project initiative. The objective of this survey is to identify the experiences of other universities with initiatives to enhance the recognition, support and incentives for teaching and researching in Sustainable Human De- velopment. In addition, the study envisages the identification of staff motivation mechanisms in those universities for an increasing integration of sustainable development in academic work. Design/methodology/approach: The survey was sent to approximately 150 uni- versities around the world. The form had fourteen short questions, but included some requests for open comments and links in order to facilitate an exploratory analysis of the web pages and more intensive study of the different areas ad- dressed by the document. Findings: It was possible to observe that many universities are doing a good job promoting sustainability. Although most initiatives developed by universities are related to incentives, this does not mean that incentives are more important than the adoption of criteria or recognition policies. Incentives are easier to implement than strategies that require deeper change. However, to be effective, they should be part of a clear and global strategic university policy. Originality/value: This work aims to initiate or improve the dialogue between the existing sustainability initiatives at the universities interested in this topic, pro- viding useful information for a debate about measures and incentives for the teaching and research activities. 296 J. Garcia, D....

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